A 12-year-old
detective hero is making a Maitland author the TOAST of the literary world.
A roundup of Central Florida pop-culture news from OrlandoSentinel .com/tvguy:
Maitland author James Ponti didn’t win an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America this week. But he’s already gaining increased attention for his “Framed! A TOAST Mystery,” a nominee for best book for juveniles.
The brilliant hero of “Framed!” is Florian Bates, a 12-year-old boy who works for the FBI. The second Florian mystery, “Vanished,” reaches bookstores Aug. 22. Publisher Simon & Schuster has contracted him to do a third book.
Florian, sort of a young Sherlock Holmes, is a master of a skill he calls TOAST: Theory of All Small Things, that allows him to read people and places.
More young readers are learning of him. “Framed!” is on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list of books for grades 3 to 5 as well as grades 6 to 8.
The statewide reading program encourages students to read independently and for pleasure. The program’s sponsors are the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Association for Media in Education.
Ponti, 51, a producer for Orlando-based Golf Channel, said it was “a huge deal” to him to be on the list.
“The key element in middle-grade books is the relationship that develops with school librarians because that’s where most kids this age get exposed to new books and authors,” he said. “So to be on the list is great. To be on both lists at once, which is from my understanding rare, is a double treat because it means that they feel the book is appropriate for a wide range of readers.”
Ponti said he will be doing events throughout the summer in Osceola County for a community read of “Framed!” for middle-school children.
Ponti is getting a boost in other ways because of the Edgars. He learned Thursday that he hadn’t won but said the night was “fantastic.”
“The most important thing about the awards isn’t winning,” he said. “It’s the exposure. For example, this week I have three events in New York City because of the Edgars, and if that helps me reach a new audience that would be amazing. So winning is nice, but the nominations are what have the long-range impact.”
Rehm finds love in Orlando
We have more proof that Orlando is the city of love.
NPR legend Diane Rehm found it last June in Orlando at an event sponsored by local public radio station 90.7 WMFE.
Rehm, 80, reconnected with a man she had met 28 years before: John Hagedorn, 77, of Lake Worth.
They had corresponded before the big moment. He wrote to praise her memoir, “On My Own,” about being a widow, and offered to meet her if she visited Florida.
She invited him to “An Evening with Diane Rehm” at the Bob Carr Theater in Orlando. They reunited at the meet-andgreet before the show and will marry in October.
WMFE was taking a bit of credit for this most happy news.
“Let this be a lesson that magical things can happen when you visit @wmfeorlando," WMFE President & General Manager LaFontaine Oliver tweeted.
Rehm retired in December.